The Lure of the Inter-Library Loan

As mentioned before, I find myself torn between wanting to read my own books and wanting to get books out of the library (either my local one or requesting through inter-library loan). The vast amount of books that are available this way just calls to me. But so do the books currently languishing on my own bookshelves.
After finishing 5 of my own books recently, I decided to indulge myself and request some more inter-library books.
On their way to me are the following:
Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah by Melody Carlson
Vanish by Tom Pawlik
Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley
Being Well When We're Ill by Marva Dawn

If I can keep a balance between reading my own and borrowing from the library, maybe I'll eventually make some progress on my TBR list (yeah, right and someday pigs will fly! LOL!).

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck: A Novel by Kathleen Y'Barbo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Though I don't tend to read very many books set in historical times, the premise of this book jumped out at me. An arranged marriage that doesn't quite go as planned. Charlotte Beck is a modern woman. That is, she is intent on getting her way. She doesn't want to just settle for being a wife and mother. She has good sense and wants to use it to go to college and then be involved in the family business. Her father, however, thinks she doesn't quite know what is good for her and manages to bribe her to do what HE wants by giving her what she wants.

Viscount Alex Hambly has financial troubles. A way out of these troubles is presented to him by a fellow businessman, Daniel Beck. However, the strings attached to this rescue might be a little steep for him. Agreeing to marry Daniel's very stubborn, very challenging daughter may cost more than he had anticipated.

This book went back and forth between Charlotte and Alex's perspectives. Showing their outlook and feelings as time progressed and they matured helped their characters to develop throughout the course of the book. I really enjoyed this book. A very easy read, the pages flew by and the story made it hard to put down. With this kind of book, I always long for a happy ending and was pleased with the way the book's outcome played out.



*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.

Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey

Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Recommended read for every Christian. It is a wake-up call for Christians at the ease with which our culture and its secular worldview is now taking over our schools and even our own way of looking at things. We have relegated the spiritual to a compartment of our lives instead of allowing it to integrate all facets of how we live.

Part of the book takes us through the historical aspects of how the church came to be what it is today. As well as how men and women's roles have changed through the years. Developing a worldview that is Biblical is essential in being able to interact with the world we live in. Otherwise we fall prey to the worldviews of those around us and become sucked into the naturalistic, materialistic way of living that is our American culture today.

The importance of teaching our youth is also emphasized so they have tools to challenge the views of those who are anti-biblical. Seeing how the secular humanistic worldview breaks down illogically helps them to cement the truths of Scripture in their own lives.

*I own this book

The White Plague by Frank Herbert

The White Plague by Frank Herbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A man invents a plague that kills only women. The plague is released in certain parts of the world. And then spreads. The whole world is changed as men scramble to find a cure, find the man who did this and protect the women that are left from contracting the plague.

The book could probably have been a bit shorter, part of the story was drawn out probably more than it needed to be. But overall, a good book, with some suspense in it, wondering if any women would survive for there to be a world in the future.


*I owned this book

Menu for Romance by Kaye Dacus

Menu for Romance by Kaye Dacus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great book in the Brides of Bonneterre series. The first one is Stand-In Groom and it's better to read that before this one as otherwise spoilers from that book are part of this one. In this novel, the main character is Meredith, daughter of the Guidry's and the main event planner for their company. She has had feelings for her co-worker for many years but finally decides that it is going nowhere and she's not getting any younger so she starts dating others. Meanwhile, the man she's in love with has a secret that he is afraid to tell her, afraid that it will ruin any chance of a relationship that they may have.
One of those books where you want to yell at the character to just "tell her already!". It ends well which is something I like in my fiction.

*I received this book through inter-library loan.

Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow

Calm My Anxious Heart : A Woman's Guide to Contentment by Linda Dillow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book - such good reminders to trust God and not let worry run your life. Learning to be content in the circumstances you're in instead of thinking about the what ifs or the if onlys. When we worry, we are not trusting that God is in control and has our good in mind. Examples were given of believers living in very difficult circumstances in other parts of the world and yet their outlook is one of praise to God.

*I got this book through my local library

The Irresistible Church by Wayne Cordeiro

Irresistible Church, The by Wayne Cordeiro

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Short, easy-to-read, this book takes us through 12 traits of a church that is irresistible. And the point the author tries to make is not just being irresistible to people, but being irresistible to heaven.

The traits that make a church irresistible include the following:
-Hungering for the presence of God
-Remembering who she is
-Living heart first
-Connecting everything to a soul - love the quote: "in the end what matters most is souls that have been redeemed". That really is the bottom line.
-Practicing gratefulness
-Always learning
-Promoting healthy relationships
-Promoting spiritual self-feeding - liked the correlation between physical and spiritual feeding. As an adult, if we are hungry, we feed ourselves. We don't expect others to do it for us. The same goes spiritually. Just because we don't feel we are getting fed at a church is not reason to leave. We need to be able to feed ourselves spiritually.
-Choosing to love
-Taking risks
-Humbling itself
-Having a plan - this is good; not just doing the same things over and over again just because we've always done it this way. Having a reason/plan for what you do.

*I received this book from the publisher to review as part of Librarything.com's Early Reviewers program

Grown-Up Girlfriends by Erin Smalley & Carrie Oliver

Grown-Up Girlfriends: Finding and Keeping Real Friends in the Real World by Erin Smalley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Friendships - they aren't much easier in adulthood than they were in growing up. This book tackles the subject of being mature in our friendships - particularly for women's friendships. It addresses various issues such as forgiveness, conflict resolution, communication skills, and grieving the loss of a friendship.

In growing in our relationship with Christ, this helps us to grow in our friendships with other women. Learning that ultimately He is our primary friend, He also uses others in our lives to support and encourage us through the trials of life.


*Got this book through inter-library loan

Blackout by Jason Elam/Steve Yohn

Blackout by Jason Elam

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Overall a good book - I liked the premise of an EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse bomb) going off and totally disabling a city. Not that that is a good thing, but it makes for a suspenseful and interesting plot in a book. The thing is, it's not that far off of a possibility from actually happening. Totally frying the electronics - not just the lights going out, but cell phones, computers, cars no longer working. Planes falling from the sky.
Unfortunately, I was almost finished with the book and discovered a page was missing. Someone had torn it out of the book. I went ahead and kept reading. From what I can tell, I didn't miss anything essential on the torn out page. It just messes with my mind, making me wonder what I missed on that page. And it's a library book!
I then discovered that this is actually book 3 in the series! It can stand alone without reading the first 2. But I thought it was the first book. Oh, well!

*I got this through inter-library loan

The New Media Frontier

The New Media Frontier: Blogging, Vlogging, and Podcasting for Christ by Roger Overton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good book from a variety of authors discussing ways that Christians can use the new media (Facebook, MySpace, blogging, etc.) to engage the world. It addresses some of the pitfalls of the new media but shares ways to utilize it as a tool to reach others for Christ.

Some of the areas addressed are how to get started in blogging, using a blog as a pastoral tool, being a part of Facebook or MySpace as part of youth ministry, theologically blogging, and how to podcast or do a vlog (video log). Some great tips and websites are given.


*I got this book through inter-library loan